A jargon-free guide to your child's education and how you can help them thrive at school For Australian children to achieve their full potential in a rapidly changing world, they need a high-quality education. However, experts and teachers can't do it alone. In fact, all the research shows that parents and carers have a big part to play. In 12 Ways Your Child Can Get the Best Out of School, Professor Adrian Piccoli, Director of the Gonski Institute for Education and former NSW education minister, sets out clearly what you need to know to ensure your child receives the quality education they deserve. Jargon-free and easy to understand, this book will empower you with the knowledge and advice you need to make a difference, including: What to look for when choosing a school What questions to ask at parent-teacher interviews What is NAPLAN and does it matter Homework - why, why not, and how much Supporting children with special needs What does the ATAR really mean Setting high expectations and handling stress Managing screen time and the role of technology at school. With clear and concise advice, case studies and more, 12 Ways Your Child Can Get the Best Out of School is for every parent and carer who wants to help their child flourish and do well. And, surely, that's all of us.

Explores dilemmas parents face when choosing a school for their children, and the impact of the growing private school sector on families, schools and the community.

Is your sensitive preschooler starting school soon? Do you want your child to THRIVE, and not just 'cope'? You are not alone. Every child is unique, and therefore every child has unique needs. But what if your school starter's subtle differences set them apart from their peers?

Tim, Hannah, Sunita, Joe and Polly are all off to school for the first time. Would you like to meet them and see how they go? There are new friends to make, fun ways to learn, and lots of different things to discover. From Jane Godwin and Anna Walker comes this beautiful book focussing on the experiences and feelings of five very different children as they begin at school for the first time. Jane's simple words and ideas combine with Anna's gentle and detailed illustrations to help children feel comfortable about taking this big step.

The bestselling author of Sweet Poison shows us how to get the better of an education system that is costing a fortune in fees, yet failing to deliver. David Gillespie has six kids. When it came time to select high schools, he thought it worth doing some investigation to assess the level of advantage his kids would enjoy if he spent the required $1.3 million to send them all to private schools. Shockingly, the answer was: none whatsoever. Intrigued, David continued his research, only to discover he was wrong on most counts - as are most parents - when it comes to working out what factors deliver a great education. He discovered that class size doesn't matter, your kids aren't any better off in co-ed than single-sex schools (and vice versa), composite classes are fine, fancy buildings are a waste of money, the old-tie network won't cut it in the new industries and NAPLAN is misread by everyone so is largely meaningless as a measure of quality. Taking on an ingrained and historical system of vested interests - the unions, the government, our own sense of worth, privilege and entitlement - this book is controversial and absolutely necessary. It is well researched, authoritative and accessible. It is a must-read for parents, as well as teachers and policy-makers.

A common-sense guide to raising happy, healthy kids - from toddlers to tweens How much screen time should you let your children have? How and when do you talk about sex? What can you do when your kid throws a tantrum? Why should you let your children just play? Maggie Dent, queen of common-sense parenting, has answers to your real-world parenting dilemmas. Focusing on the most engaged-with topics from her popular ABC Parental As Anything podcast, Maggie tells us what the experts have to say, relates the experiences of other parents, and offers her own reassuring guidance to provide practical solutions to the challenges parents and caregivers face today. This book will give you the means to be the parent you'd like to be, and help you in your quest to raise happy, healthy, thriving, resilient children.